Trump’s $20 Million Taxpayer-Funded Ads Aired Nearly 400 Times, Report Says

A coalition of government watchdog organizations has asked a federal judge to step in after taxpayer-funded campaign advertisements tied to President Donald Trump reportedly continued airing nationwide—hundreds of times within a single day.

The filing came nearly 24 hours after US District Judge Jennifer Rochon ruled in favor of the watchdog groups, finding that the Trump administration’s taxpayer-funded ads were likely unlawful. She ordered the advertisements removed from the air immediately.

In a court filing Monday evening, however, the plaintiffs said the commercials had continued to run despite the emergency order.

Attorneys representing Common Cause, Democracy Forward and other plaintiffs cited data from AdImpact, saying the government-funded ads had “ran in nearly 400 spots on programs that began airing at 7 pm Eastern last night — that is, after this Court’s order was in effect.”

The plaintiffs said they were “not presently” seeking contempt sanctions against the administration.

They acknowledged that the continued broadcasts—and the money behind them—could potentially be explained in a declaration the judge ordered the government to submit Monday evening.

“But given that the ads have continued to run on October 12—the day after Defendants insisted the ad-buy was no longer effective—Plaintiffs request a status conference to determine Defendants’ compliance,” the attorneys wrote.

How the court will respond remains uncertain. The Justice Department did not immediately answer the Daily Mail’s request for comment.

Rochon’s filing followed an order directing the Trump administration to cancel any remaining advertisements scheduled to air after 6:45 pm ET Sunday, when the ruling took effect.

The judge also rejected the administration’s argument that the case would likely become “moot” because the ads were not scheduled to continue beyond the end of Sunday.

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The government had told the court it had already spent approximately $19 million of the $20 million allocated for the advertising campaign. Rochon nevertheless declined to accept that argument and ruled for the plaintiffs.

In her temporary order Sunday night, Rochon instructed attorneys for the Trump administration to submit a declaration Monday evening detailing their compliance with the ruling.

It remains unclear whether the administration will address the reported continuation of the broadcasts in that declaration—a possibility the plaintiffs recognized in their filing.

Even so, the plaintiffs said they “believe the Court should be aware of developments suggesting that the conduct addressed by the Order may be continuing.”

The dispute comes amid concerns from ethics attorneys and some congressional Republicans that the advertisements could violate the Hatch Act, the 1939 law restricting the political activities of most executive branch employees.

“The president and his administration have gone from breaking the law to trampling it,” Norm Eisen, a former White House ethics official under President Barack Obama, told the New York Times about the taxpayer-funded campaign.

The White House has previously defended the spots as “educational” and “unconditionally patriotic” public service announcements.

A White House spokesperson told the Daily Mail earlier this month that the revised advertisements were “not unlike” public service announcements aired by earlier administrations, including those of former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.

The televised ad spots are ‘clearly not political’ and do not have a ‘call to action,’ a White House spokesperson told the Daily Mail in response to an earlier request for comment.

‘These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad,’ the spokesperson added. 

This is a developing news story. Check back for updates.